In the Playroom at Sundown
by Belladonna Lee
Summary: DMHP Slash. Harry and Draco never agree on a time, but whenever Harry steps into the disused classroom on the fifth floor at sundown, he would find Draco perch on the window sill, reading a book or staring at the sky.


Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and its characters are not mine.

A/N: Happy Birthday, Draco!

**In the Playroom at Sundown**

The bell had rung its ominous signal, and the students in the classroom let out a collective sound, be it a sigh of relief or a groan in despair. Putting down his quill, Harry rolled up the exam paper and blinked away the afterimage of his cursive writing. He barely managed to write down the conclusion to his essay, though he was certain that he had at least nailed the key points in his answer. At the desk next to his, Ron looked as if he had swallowed something sour; it appeared he did not have time to answer all the questions. In consolation Harry patted him on the shoulder, but that did little good.

Once the teacher had collected all the exam papers, the students were dismissed. Eager to escape the prison and compare notes, most of the students rushed out of the classroom, though a handful of their classmates hung back. Listening with half an ear to Ron ramble on about the evil of exams, Harry packed his things and shot a glance at the desk three rows ahead of his. Several students had finished their exam early and were allowed to leave. Needless to say, Hermione handed in her exam in record time, and there was never any doubt that she would be top of the class again.

"I'm going back to the dormitory. Are you coming?" Ron asked after venting some of his woe.

"No, I have something else to do right now. I'll see you at dinner." Before Ron could interrogate him, Harry grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

Clutching the strap of his school bag, Harry fought through the crowd, dashed up several flights of stairs to the vocal disapproval of a certain portrait, ran down the fifth floor corridor, and arrived in front of the door tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, breathless yet expectant. A smile playing upon his lips, he drew a deep breath and opened the door.

In the disused classroom, large white sheets shrouded the mountains of desks and chairs in the corner, which gave off a curious impression that some mysterious being was lurking within. The last of daylight came unbidden into the room and threw faint shadows across the floor. Outside the window, the sky was a spectacle of iridescence: pale blue, light grey, the palest of lilac, fleshy pink and sunset orange. Nevertheless, as soon as Harry's eyes fell upon a certain someone at the window, everything else fell to the wayside.

Sitting on the window sill, Draco leant against the glass, a book in his lap, yet his gaze had drifted away to the view outside. When Harry entered the room, Draco cast him a glance before returning to his book. The silent treatment was fine by Harry, for he had grown used to it. After dropping his bag beside Draco's on the chair, he took out his books and went to the window, where his favourite seat—a desk he had doodled on—crouched like a sprinter at the ready.

Whenever Harry needed some peace and quiet from his chaotic life, he would come to this empty classroom on the fifth floor. Although neither he nor Draco promised to meet up at a certain hour, every time Harry stepped into the room at sundown, he would find the aloof blond perch on the sill, reading a book or looking out the window. It was obvious why Draco chose this room as his sanctuary: the windows afforded an unobstructed view of the sky from east to west.

With his back to the window, Harry sorted through his study notes, but he could not resist stealing glances at Draco, who was engrossed in his reading. When Draco was reading, his face would take on the distant look of someone who had lost his soul. Nevertheless, every so often his face would light up and break into a smile. While the sight did not make Harry's heart pound in his chest, he would find himself smiling with Draco. Why Draco did not smile more often in his everyday life was a question Harry could not ask, and for the sake of his sanity, he should stop dwelling on this particular topic now.

The blue leather-bound book in Draco's hand did not resemble any of the textbooks that students of their year were using. "What are you reading?" Harry asked out of curiosity.

Draco held up the book for Harry to see. Embossed on the cover in bold silver lettering was the title, _The Hatter in the Attic_, which, other than stating the obvious, gave no indication at all as to what the story was about. What perked Harry's interest more, however, was something else entirely. "You are not studying for tomorrow's exam?"

"Unlike you, I don't cramp everything into my brain the day before the exam. I don't need any more reviewing." Draco shot a look at the bundle of notes in Harry's hand, and the corner of his mouth became a little wry. "Besides, I deserve a break today."

Harry made a vague sound and decided that after having survived two exams in a row, a respite was in order for him as well. After putting his notes aside, he hopped off the desk and stretched his arms. Grey eyes were following his movement, but he feigned ignorance and rummaged in his bag for something to eat. His search yielded one chocolate frog nearly crushed under the weight of his Potions textbook. With his find he went to Draco's side, broke the poor chocolate frog in half, and gave one of the halves to Draco, who squinted at him.

"Sugar can boost your brain power and keep you awake," Harry said in a casual tone, but Draco's gaze made him feel self-conscious all of a sudden. "I've heard about it somewhere."

"From Granger, obviously," Draco drawled. Harry flashed him a grin in response.

Taking the slightly melted chocolate from Harry, Draco took a bite like the refined aristocrat he was taught to be. Relieved that Draco had accepted the treat, Harry stuffed his half into his mouth, savouring the sweetness and the moment of tranquillity with his sworn rival. There were several moments in his life that he wished would last forever, and these idle hours after class in the disused classroom on the fifth floor were one such time.

Putting his head close to Draco's, Harry tried to see what Draco was reading. "_For some reason, the Hatter was depressed. The bitter smell of burnt toast was the smell of defeat, but no matter. A goldfish was swimming outside his window, and the world was ending._" Harry paused, unable to grasp what the author was trying to say. "Okay...what exactly is the story about?"

"The world is about to end. A hatter living in the attic is trying to escape a curse, and he falls in love with a librarian who may or may not be his estranged sister," Draco droned while pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket. "There is also a talking goldfish and a corpse buried under the cherry blossom tree."

"That sounds messed up, and you have no storytelling skill whatsoever." Harry tried to ignore the pleasant scent on Draco's body. Some boys wore cologne as well, but none of them smelled as subtle and enticing as Draco. To be fair, Harry did not go around and sniff at every male student in the castle.

"I'm not planning on writing my memoir any time soon, so it doesn't matter." Draco snapped the book shut, pushed himself onto his feet, and gave Harry an unreadable look. "You have chocolate on your mouth."

"Oh." Harry wiped his mouth with his sleeve, feeling a little embarrassed to be told off by Draco as though he were a child incapable of cleaning after himself. "How's that?"

"Better." With that Draco grabbed Harry by his tie and kissed him. It took Harry a whole second to realise what was happening, but before he could react, Draco had released him. A gleam of satisfaction had lit up his cool grey eyes, and a hint of a smirk was flirting about his lips. "Happy Birthday."

"Today is not my birthday," Harry pointed out after he found his voice. As he stared at the fickle blond, his heartbeat began to race. Warmth flitted onto his cheeks, and he had a vague awareness that it had nothing to do with vexation or shyness.

"It's my birthday today. Don't you just hate it when you have to write exams on your birthday?" Leaving the dumbfound Harry behind, Draco gathered his things and strolled to the door. The hem of his black robe flowed in the air like a dolphin's tail flapping in the sea. "Thanks for the present. Have fun with your exams tomorrow."

Dusk had fallen outside the castle, and the empty corridor on the fifth floor was dyed a beautiful cornflower blue. Slinging the school bag on his shoulder, Draco brushed a finger over his lips, which still tasted of chocolate. Somehow, the chocolate frog tasted sweeter than usual, so sweet it numbed his tongue. Thinking back to the little prank he had pulled on Harry, he chuckled a little before singing softly to himself, "Happy Birthday to me."

* * *

_Finis._

A/N: I was working on something else for Draco's birthday, but knowing I wouldn't be able to finish it on time, I wrote this instead. For once, I actually wrote a birthday fic on Draco's birthday. Thank you very much for reading.


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